Week of June 25, 2025
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Students earn All-County Jazz honors Neighbors vs. American High
Trustees hear pro and con of historic high-school building tenant By Russ Tarby Contributing writer
Submitted photos
The 2025 All-County Jazz Festival was held in March at Christian Brothers Academy. Liverpool Central School District Director of Fine Arts Adam Shatraw recently announced that two LCSD students were honored with Junior High All County Jazz honors. Earning recognition were Liverpool High School freshman Ethan Parry-Benedict and Morgan Road Middle eighth grader Finnegan O’Toole, pictured above.
Liverpool Central School District Director of Fine Arts Adam Shatraw recently announced that six Liverpool High School students were honored with the Senior High All County Vocal Jazz honors. Pictured, from left, junior Makenna Baker, senior Ella Culligan and junior Dylan Golden. Missing from the photo are junior Troy Toscano, senior Devin Fagan and junior Vincent Farino.
Clay Historical Association hosts events The Clay Historical Association will host the following this summer:
Meet the Town of Clay Historian
Jeff Snow will be at Clay Historical Association’s Open House on Sunday, July 20, from 1-3 p.m. at Clay Historical Park, 4939 Route 31. Do you have a future story you would like Jeff to feature? Do you have pictures of Clay “then” and would like a “now” story to go with them? Jeff is looking forward to meeting you and hearing about your Clay story. If you can’t attend, but have pictures or a story for Jeff he can be reached via email- historian@ townofclay.org All buildings will be open and manned by volunteers: Cigarville Train Station, replica log cabin,
Sellen-Weller barn, and Visitor Center. The buildings feature exhibits, artifacts, photographs, documents, and other memorabilia that have been donated by Town of Clay families. For further information go to Facebook or sites. google.com./site/clayhistoricalassociation. Any questions, call Cindy at 315-927-7573.
Willow Industry by Liverpool Historian Joan Cregg
Liverpool is a village of just less than a square mile in area, however, there have been many strands of history that have woven this area. Liverpool historian Joan Cregg will come to Clay Historical Park on July 19 from 1-3 p.m. to share just one of those strands - the willow strand and the immigrant people who moved to the area and wove an industry and a community. She will bring artifacts, photographs and stories to explain, educate and entertain. Any questions, please call Cindy at 315-927-7573.
Authors Showcase
Do you love to read? Enjoy meeting crafters? Are you in the mood for hotdogs? Do you have questions regarding Francis House for a loved one? The Clay Historical Association is hosting its second Authors Showcase on Aug. 9 from 1-3 p.m. at 4939 Clay Historical Park. This year’s event will have numerous local authors and crafters, Jillie’s Dog Food Truck and Francis House. An author panel will also be held from 2 to 2:30 p.m. in the Visitor Center. This is a family event and parking is free.
After Liverpool Mayor Stacy Finney’s letter to the editor appeared last week in both the Star-Review and The Post-Standard to critique American High CEO Jeremy Garelick, a crowd of more than three dozen attended the June 16 meeting of the village board of trustees. In her published missive, the mayor maintained that Garelick has repeatedly violated village codes in violation of the terms of American High’s special permit to operate in the old high-school building at 800 Fourth St. Garelick, a successful Hollywood producer, director and screenwriter, bought the brick building in 2017 for $1 million. The latest problem at American High arose early this month as noise and fumes emanated from a diesel generator causing several neighbors to complain to village Codes Officer Bill Reagan. The film company was shooting a comedy currently called “The Untitled BriTANicK Pizza Movie” starring Gaten Matarazzo and Sean Giambrone. That smoky situation prompted Finney to write a letter to the editor detailing American High’s long list of code violations since it was established here eight years ago. “For years now Mr. Garelick and his staff at American High have disrupted our residential neighborhood in ways that they would never dream of doing at either one of the Garelick family’s multimillion dollar homes on Cazenovia Lake or in the suburbs of Fayetteville,” Finney wrote. “He knowingly does something that violates his permit, apologizes, feigns poverty, promises to do better, and rattles off a list of exaggerated stats.” On June 16, Garelick appeared at the trustees’ meeting and apologized again. After Finney opened the public comment period by stating that last week’s letter to the editor had been “her opinion” emphasizing her effort to preserve “the character of our village” by “maintaining our codes.” Then more than a dozen residents made their feelings known to the board – Finney and trustees Rachel Ciotti and Michael LaMontagne. Trustees Matt Devendorf and Melissa Cassidy were absent June 16. Megan Kelly, a mother who lives on Birch Street said she was upset by the movie studio’s use of generators. Several speakers, such as Oswego Street resident Raul Huerta, endorsed the mayor’s suggestion that American High should relocate. Huerta thought that the old high-school building would better serve as a site for senior housing. Fourth Street resident Barbara Dennehy agreed. After detailing the generator incidents spewing “actually toxic diesel fumes,” Dennehy told Garelick, “I don’t believe your apologies.” She urged him to move out of the village. A few neighbors were more forgiving. “I, for one, am happy to have you here,” Joyce Linnenbach, a resident of Third Street, told Garelick. “Why can’t this be fixed?” Several American High employees spoke about the “opportunities and excitement” provided by American High. They included Garelick’s partner, producer Will Phelps, who lives on Cypress Street. “We want to be good neighbors,” Phelps insisted. “We want the best for Liverpool, too.” The most dramatic moment in the comment period came when Samantha Garelick, wife of the CEO, stood to directly confront Finney. She criticized Finney’s letter to the editor as “reckless and dangerous.” “The fact that you called out where we live, I was shocked,” Samantha said. “You should be ashamed of yourself.” For his part, Jeremy Garelick, focused on Joyce Linnenbach’s question: “Why can’t this be fixed?” “Let’s try to resolve these issues,” he said. For instance, within three weeks, American High hopes to have updated its electrical capabilities in order to forego future use of generators to power necessary lighting, he said. “All these issues can be addressed,” Garelick said. “Let’s work together. I’m here to listen…we’re trying.”
Ten DWIs in May
At the village board’s meeting on June 16, Police Chief Jerry Unger reported via memo that his officers made 554 traffic stops and issued 533 citations for violations of the state’s vehicle and traffic laws in the month of May. Ten arrests were made for Driving While Intoxicated last month. Officers stopped seven tractor trailers in the village in May, and they wrote seven local law traffic tickets for being overweight. Twelve accidents were investigated here last month and eight parking tickets were issued. Officers made 60 residential checks and 320 business checks last month, while responding to a total of 1,165 incidents and calls for service, an average of 37.5 calls per day. The LPD arrested 123 individuals in May on 165 misdemeanor or felony criminal charges.
Volume 132, Number 26 The Star-Review is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 2501 James St., Suite 108, Syracuse, NY 13206. Periodical Postage Paid at Syracuse, NY 13220, USPS 316060. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Star-Review, 2501 James St., Suite 108, Syracuse, NY 13206.
cnyspca pet of the week: Butterball needs a home.
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schools: LCSD to offer summer meal program.
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Calendar �������������������� 2 Editorial ��������������������� 6 history ������������������������ 7 letters ������������������������ 7
library news �������������� 2 Obituaries ������������������ 5 PennySaver ���������������� 8 Scholars �������������������� 2